Archbishop condemns fortune telling as lack of faith

Aug 23, 2007 / 08:37 am

People who put their trust in horoscopes, astrology and mediums are "colluding with an illusion" and must turn back to place their trust in God, said Archbishop Sean Brady of Armagh and primate of Ireland.

Underlying the trend of "future-telling" is a fear of the future, said the archbishop during his a homily at Our Lady of Knock Shrine, reported The Irish Times. The archbishop celebrated the Mass of the Queenship of Mary, and gave a homily on the theme “Following Christ in the 21st Century.”

The archbishop said he has noticed people "seeking to control their future rather than entrust their future to God's promise and plan." He said “future-telling” was evidence of a life without God to address the deepest needs of the human spirit.

He observed that the "land of saints and scholars" had become better known as "the land of stocks and shares".

"Tragically, it has also become a land of increasing stress and substance abuse," he was quoted as saying. "The result is an increasing culture of insecurity and fear," he said.

"Those who confidently tell us that the Catholic Church in Ireland is an anachronism, a superstition of bygone days which has been rejected by intelligent Irish people, have greatly overstated their case," he reportedly said.

"The challenge is to keep our lives focused on Christ amidst the distractions of increasing prosperity ... in an increasingly secular, sometimes hostile culture," he said, according to the Irish Times.

For all its "human imperfections," he said, the Catholic Church still holds the answers to the "big questions of people's lives.”